Students Need to Recall Information

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Millions of teachers make this mistake:

Reminding students what they previously learned.

Sure, class runs smoother.

But that smoothness is fake.

Here’s why:

When you remind a student what they learned yesterday…

You rob them of the opportunity to recall it.

Yes, recalling the material is harder.

But that’s exactly what strengthens long-term retention.

So instead…

Don’t just remind them.

Ask them to remember.

They may stare at you blankly.

They may need some time.

They may need some hints.

But they need to TRY to recall as much as possible.

And they won’t do that unless you make them.

Further reading:

• The 2 Most Common Ways that People Get Retrieval Practice Wrong
• Cognitive Science of Learning: The Testing Effect (Retrieval Practice)

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